HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 289/6/R1798    most recent 00558.2005v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (11) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Amico, J. A. Articles by Rinaman, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Amico, J. A. Articles by Rinaman, L.

APPETITE, OBESITY, DIGESTION, AND METABOLISM

Enhanced initial and sustained intake of sucrose solution in mice with an oxytocin gene deletion

Departments of ¹Medicine, ²Pharmaceutical Sciences, and ³Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Submitted 28 July 2005 ; accepted in final form 29 August 2005

Laboratory mice drink little sucrose solution on initial exposure, but later develop a strong preference for sucrose over water that plateaus after a few days. Both the initial neophobia and later plateau of sucrose intake may involve central oxytocin (OT) signaling pathways. If so, then mice that lack the gene for OT [OT knockout (KO)] should exhibit enhanced initial and sustained sucrose intake compared with wild-type (WT) cohorts. To test this hypothesis, female OT KO and WT mice (11–13 mo old) were given a two-bottle choice between 10% sucrose and water available ad libitum for 4 days. On the first day, sucrose intake was 20-fold greater in OT KO mice compared with WT cohorts. The avid sucrose consumption by OT KO mice increased further on day 2 and was sustained at significantly higher levels than intake by WT mice. Enhanced initial and sustained sucrose intake also was observed in 5- to 7-mo-old male OT KO mice. The effect of genotype was observed over a range of sucrose concentrations and was maintained over at least 8 days of continual exposure. However, there was no effect of genotype on daily intake of sucrose-enriched powdered chow. These findings indicate that the genetic absence of OT in mice is associated with enhanced initial and sustained intake of sucrose solutions. Thus central OT pathways may normally participate in limiting initial intake of novel ingesta and may also participate in limiting intake of sweet, highly palatable familiar ingesta.

sugar; palatability; overeating; satiety

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. A. Miedlar, L. Rinaman, R. R. Vollmer, and J. A. Amico Oxytocin gene deletion mice overconsume palatable sucrose solution but not palatable lipid emulsions Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, September 1, 2007; 293(3): R1063 - R1068. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Sclafani, L. Rinaman, R. R. Vollmer, and J. A. Amico Oxytocin knockout mice demonstrate enhanced intake of sweet and nonsweet carbohydrate solutions Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, May 1, 2007; 292(5): R1828 - R1833. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]